SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK – Natural Gas

Onyx Power and Gas Consulting continues a weekly series providing the Short Term Energy Outlook as of August 8, 2017. This series of news articles should provide a complete insight on the current conditions of the energy…enjoy, check out archives and come back each week for additional information on how all sorts of energy sources impact our daily lives.

Natural Gas

U.S. dry natural gas production is forecast to average 73.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017, a 1.2 Bcf/d increase from the 2016 level. Natural gas production in 2018 is forecast to be 3.9 Bcf/d above the 2017 level.

In July, the average Henry Hub natural gas spot price was $2.98 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), about the same as in June. Higher natural gas exports and growing domestic natural gas consumption in 2018 contribute to the forecast Henry Hub natural gas spot price rising from an annual average of $3.06/MMBtu in 2017 to $3.29/MMBtu in 2018. NYMEX contract values for December 2017 delivery that traded during the five-day period ending August 3 suggest that a range of $2.17/MMBtu to $4.48/MMBtu encompasses the market expectation for December Henry Hub natural gas prices at the 95% confidence level.